I'm a lifelong atheist and a molecular biologist with a passion for science and a passionate opposition to its enemies.
Kenyan Paleoanthropologist Richard Leakey believes that continuing advancements in science will finally end skepticism about evolution: “If you get to the stage where you can persuade people on the evidence, that it’s solid, that we are all African, that color is superficial, that stages of development of culture are all interactive,” Leakey says, “then I think we have a chance of a world that will respond better to global challenges.” Though, admittedly, he puts the time-frame for such a change… Read more
When I saw the headline “Wanted: Bigfoot hair samples for European study,” I assumed that this was either a wild distortion of an actually serious study or the goal of some fringe professor. Both kinds of stories regularly find themselves in the “Science” section of mainstream news sites far more often than they should. As I researched further, however, I found myself in the odd situation of being slightly alarmed that the various sources echoing the news had not distorted… Read more
Rabbi Ovadia Yosef is very concerned about doctors following proper procedures when dealing with patients. Unfortunately, instead of the Hippocratic Oath, Rabbi Yosef has decided to go with Exodus, which dates from the same approximate period but is much less compassionate and has not been updated ever since. In fact, Yosef doesn’t want Jewish doctors treating non-Jews on the Sabbath: … the spiritual leader of Shas said that while doctors are expected to do everything in their power — even… Read more
David Coppedge had a job most computer experts would kill for. He worked for NASA as a computer specialist, as a team leader on the Cassini mission, oriented towards the exploration of Saturn. Coppedge is also a Creationist, though, and he claims that this got him fired after 15 years on the job. Of course, NASA and Caltech have a very different version of the story. They say Coppedge was confrontational, aggressive, and refused suggestions for retraining when it became… Read more
